Predict your marathon time by using this workout

My first half-marathon

It’s done. I ran my first half marathon. What a fun!. This is not a long sprint where you go near the boundaries of your body, as at 5 km, this is not a race that requires the extreme endurance as a marathon. It's just between the two: a respectable distance, which requires some strategy to preserve one’s reserves of glycogen and concentration, to have a little "juice" to make a final sprint (which is not as fast as 5 or 10 K) and cross the finish line. I just did it. I followed my game plan almost perfectly. My goal was to run 21.1 km in 1:59: 00 and the whole time I kept the same pace at 20 seconds better than my goal, without exceeding the zone of 80-85% of my maximum heart rate. Then I realized that I still had enough energy to sprint, and that's what I did and improved my time for another 30 seconds. In short, a time of 1:58:10. Mission accomplished. I must admit that I came out of this race dirty as a little pig because the mud was everywhere after the rain that fell all night and the wind was bad enough. A good shower and everything is gone!

Test– 100% success!

For the first time, I ran this afternoon 21.1 km (according to my GPS). Actually, I did 22.1 km, with the first kilometer as a warm up, then I stopped my watch at 22.1 and continued into my cool-down. Time - 2:03:40. I had great moments, but also those somewhat less pleasant (need to find a Wend's, which means I had to slow down. So when I look at my chart, I see that my pace is well below 6:00 / km, apart from the moments preceding the break in the bathroom when I tried to keep pace, but without success. Otherwise I would have done my "half" under the two hours. But, well, it happens even to the best (what I'm not). The experience is fantastic. With the fine weather, full of energy (one bar PowerBar and 3 gels - at 5,10 and 15 km), I made ​​one of the best races of my (brief) career as a runner . So if I continue to train properly, I know I am able to run effortlessly under 2 hours in about 4 weeks.

Not bad…at all

Let me say a few words about my long run on Sunday.
As the name indicates - it was a long run. Nineteen kilometers. It was a great mix – light jog, running near the anaerobic threshold, a small break between two accelerations ... for a total of 1:58, which is not so bad.
Today I made ​​a somewhat similar combination, but much shorter. "Only"12 km. But every day I feel more confident to face the distance of 21.1 km. With the good weather that arrives, my workouts will become more and more interesting. I already planned several races. Aside from my half-marathon in April, I would run 5 or 10 km of Spring Challenge (on May 7) and certainly 5km at Reha-Thon in Laval, on May 15.
I still did not decide how far I'll run at the Montreal Marathon. I hesitate between half and 10 km. A “tiny ten” is my favorite distance, but I'll see whether I’ll love the half.

Finally – the interval training

For the first time in almost a year, I did an interval  training. Or almost. Let me explain. When I was in top shape before  the hernia in April 2010, I was running my intervals between 4:18 and 4:20 min / km and my anaerobic threshold was around 5:00. Last night I was pretty far from one and another, but I managed to run about 85% (160 bpm) of my max HR, what I have not done for 11 months. At a pace of around 5:08 (with a maximum of 4:34), my training was by far the toughest and fastest since April 29, 2010. I'm still not in good shape (just acceptable), but I'm ready for my first half on April 19. And then, I have several months to prepare myself for my second half - in September. In any case, no one runs a half-marathon at the intervals speed! But I like them, anyway.

In forced rest

This does not happen often, but this time, I caught a flu that forced me not to train since Sunday. A week without racing - it's a week too much. Everyone in the office is sick, I was in bed for several days and even when I was back at work, I was not able to work properly. And I'm not alone. But these others, they are not runners. I should, theoretically, have better immunity. One of my colleagues gave up his workouts when the temperature was -15, with the forecast of -20 ° C (a few weeks ago). I continued. Then, the virus attacked me. And my colleague, who did not want to run at -20, well, he caught the same virus as me several days later. I hope out of this torpor and start running early next week, but for now I do not feel ready. I am motivated, of course, but the body does not respond properly. I do not give up, anyway.

Winter Storm – a little bit late

Well, it was a winter storm - a little bit late. It was expected to have them more in January. But never mind. Even last night I did my training - 5 km on the sidewalks cleared well enough (in Hampstead). But crossing Decarie was quite an adventure. I even bought ski goggles to protect myself from the snow and extreme cold. If you are interested, you can find them on sale at Sports-Experts from $ 49.99. So I follow my half marathon program (according to Jack Daniels). Not too fast (not easy to run fast on smooth pavement), but the intensity is not lacking. I hope to be ready in April and then I'll see if I like it. The goal is there, and this is important!

What happens when I run and it’s snowing: It’s the edge of my hat beneath my left ear :)

Run at -20°C

After 15 km Saturday (yes, a little less cold than today, but ...) and a mere 5 km yesterday, today I decided to brave the freezing cold (-21 ° C and the light wind removed a couple of Celsius). I had many difficulties during my Saturday long run because I could not put my balaclava properly. When I put it to cover my nose, my glasses become unusable after a few seconds. So I lowered the balaclava under my mouth and inspired the cold air. I wanted to buy ski goggles, but I did not find the model that can cover my glasses (OTG - over the glasses). Indeed, I found, but the foam was damaged and they did not want to give me a small discount. Today - strategy change. I take off my glasses and put the balaclava completely. I don’t see well, but better than with frosted glasses. And I run ... Full training. At -21 ° Celsius. I'll be ready for my first half marathon!

This is serious :)

Yesterday evening, I officially registered for my first half marathon (Scotia Bank, April 17, 2011). It's a respectable distance - between a real marathon and shorter races, 5 and 10 km. I hesitated a lot between 5 K and the half-marathon race, and finally decided to see if I can take a step forward. Where is my endurance at the moment? The basic training - it is already done. Six km on average each day, plus a long race weekend, between 10 and recently 12 km. I must now increase the mileage, especially the long run, and then add a little speed. This is not the same category as "long distance sprints", 5 and 10 K. However, I must accelerate. I estimate a time between 1 hour 50 and 2 hours, but any result when will be my personal best.  I could continue on 5 km, of course, and maybe even win a spot on the podium in my age group as I did last year. Moreover, the competition is not as fierce as on 21.1 km. But I decided to take the challenge - to try a half-marathon. It became the most popular distance in recent years. It's like the transition between the "weekend warriors" and more serious runners. But it is primarily a distance that requires of each athlete to give his maximum, both mentally and physically, without being as tough as a full marathon. I hope the weather will cooperate a little bit more to allow me to be well prepared. Until now, it was not so bad. Do you have the taste of the challenge? Try the 5 km Bank of Nova Scotia on April 17 on Ile Ste-Helene. That's how I started four years ago.

The importance of shopping your running shoes

My best shoes (a pair of New Balance 859) are near the end of their useful life, for the total distance of a thousand km. My other two pairs (NB 850) are at about 700 km, but I do not like them as much as NB 859. These shoes are, perhaps, lighter and more advanced (whatever it means) but I did not find them so comfortable.
So I decided to buy new shoes. New Balance, of course, because my feet have trouble with  "standard" shoes .
So I turned to Amazon.com. And, miracle, I found NB 859  at a ridiculous price of $ 47 U.S. + shipping. I ordered a pair for a total price of CAD $ 70 directly to my door. I received my new shoes in less than two weeks. When I bought them two years ago in Montreal, they costed 149 + taxes, more than $ 167.
Then I wanted to add another pair. Unfortunately, they were out of stock. So I ordered two pairs of NB 1224 at a cost of U.S. $ 85 + shipping or $ 114 CAD at my door and I received them less than a week later.
Finally, I bought two pairs of Adidas Salvation on sale on the site of Running Room, for $ 19.99 + tax, no shipping costs for delivery in the Running Room store in Montreal. I use them only for short training sessions and the lack of support does not bother me.
The next time you decide to buy running shoes, look first in the US because, despite the parity of our currencies, the shoes are much more expensive in Canada and you can not find last year models as in the U.S. Sometimes, on Amazon.com you can find the real gems almost for nothing. By the way, the NB 1224 two years ago were costing $ 189 + tx in all stores here. I have got two pairs for the price of one!
And with all those beautiful shoes, I have a different pair for each workout.
It was worth looking on the internet, isn't it?

Happy New Year!

It is almost 2 PM and I am preparing for my first training in 2011. I started doing small exercises with weights (nothing too heavy, 3 to 5 pounds, plus some abs). Runners must strengthen the upper body without adding too much muscle mass - just the endurance of arms and core.

Two weeks ago, my dad's friend ran the Antarctic Marathon. He arrived at about 5:45, in rather difficult conditions (14th place among thirty runners who finished the race). One minute before him, the race has finished a marathon runner who made a "normal"  Marathon in 2:25. Quite obvious that Marathon not far from the South Pole is not easy. Especially at age 62. It is a true hero!

New year, for some means to lose weight gained during the holidays, start training after several days without activity, resolutions, etc.. Forget resolutions. They are good only for the computer screens :)  
If you want to improve your quality of life, you must start now, when the thought crosses your brain. Never "on January 1", "next Monday", "tomorrow" ... That means now, and if not, never. And you can, my dear readers and friends do so. So ... GO! (Starting gun!!!!)